In-context exact (ICE) matching

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems and program product are disclosed for determining a matching level of a text lookup segment with a plurality of source texts in a translation memory in terms of context. In particular, the invention determines any exact matches for the lookup segment in the plurality of source texts, and determines, in the case that at least one exact match is determined, that a respective exact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment in the case that a context of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exact match. The degree of context matching required can be predetermined, and results prioritized. The invention also includes methods, systems and program products for storing a translation pair of source text and target text in a translation memory including context, and the translation memory so formed. The invention ensures that content is translated the same as previously translated content and reduces translator intervention.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/550,795, filed Mar. 5, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates generally to processing content, and moreparticularly, to ensuring an exact translation match to source contentincluding context to simplify and otherwise facilitate translation andother processing functions associated with the content.

2. Related Art

As information becomes more accessible on a global basis, especiallygiven the advent and rapid utilization of the Internet and theWorld-Wide-Web, the role of translation has shifted away from simpletranscription of source text into a target language. Translators todaymust ensure the timely and accurate deployment of the translated contentto designated sites and customers. As such, the increased need forcontent translation has prompted numerous companies to develop toolsthat automate and aid in part of the translation process. Given thattranslators seek to translate content as quickly as possible,translation can be made more efficient with the greater flexibility insoftware functionality and the ability to save previous translations forfuture use. Therefore, tools have been created to save translations,including blocks and/or segments of translations, in computer memory(“translation memory” or “TM”).

Translation memories, also known as translation databases, arecollections of entries where a source text is associated with itscorresponding translation in one or more target languages. Translationmemory includes a database that stores source and target language pairsof text segments that can be retrieved for use with present texts andtexts to be translated in the future. Typically, TMs are used intranslation tools: when the translator “opens” a segment, theapplication looks up the database for equivalent source text. The resultis a list of matches usually ranked with a score expressing thepercentage of similarity between the source text in the document and inthe TM. The translator or a different TM system provides the target textsegments that are paired with the lookup segments so that the endproduct is a quality translation.

There are many computer-assisted translation (“CAT”) tools available toassist the translator, such as bilingual and multilingual dictionaries,grammar and spell checkers and terminology software, but TM goes onestep further by making use of these other CAT tools while at the sametime matching up the original source document stored in its databasewith the updated or revised document through exact and fuzzy matching.An exact match (100% match) is a match where there is no difference (orno difference that cannot be handled automatically by the tool) betweenthe source text in the document and the source text in the TM. A fuzzymatch (less than 100% match) is a match where the source text in thedocument is very similar, but not exactly the same, as the source textin the TM. Duplicated exact matches are also often treated as fuzzymatches. A TM system is used as a translator's aid, storing a humantranslator's text in a database for future use. For instance, TM can beutilized when a translator translates the original text, usingtranslation memory to store the paired source and target segments. Thetranslator could then reuse the stored texts to translate the revised orupdated version of the text. Only the segments of the new text that donot match the old one would have to be translated. The alternative wouldbe to use a manual translation system or a different CAT system totranslate the original text. The TM system could then be used by atranslator to translate the revision or update by aligning the textsproduced by a translator or other CAT system and storing them in the TMdatabase for present and future work. The translator could then proceedto translate only the segments of the new text, using TM as describedabove.

There are many advantages in using TMs: The translation can go muchfaster, avoid unnecessary re-typing of existing translations, and/orenable a translator to change only certain parts of the text. TMs alsoallow a better control of the quality of the translation. In the relatedart, TM was employed to speed the translation step in large batchprojects. For example, a software company may release version 1 of itssoftware product and need to translate the accompanying documentation.The documentation is broken into sentences and translated, with allsentence pairs captured in TM. Two years later the company releasesversion 2 of its software. The documentation has changed significantly,but there is also a significant portion similar to the originaldocumentation. This time, as translators translate the documentation,their work is reduced through leveraging exact and fuzzy matches fromthe TM. As this example illustrates, TM is typically used as an aid in apipeline process. In the related art, there are also some limitationswith the utilization of TM.

Automatically leveraging translation using exact matches (withoutvalidating them) can generate incorrect translation since there is noverification of the context where the new segment is used compared towhere the original one was used: this is the difference between truereuse and recycling. In the related art, TM systems are recyclingsystems. With Web content, and now with many types of content, it iscommon for a document to be translated, and then have minor changes madeto it, and then have need for it to be translated again. For example, aweb document listing the advantages of a product might be translated,but then a new advantage might be added and the document would thereforeneed to be translated again. In the related art, TM would reduce theeffort of translating the document a second time. Exact matches for mostsentences would exist where the source text was identical to one or moreentries in the TM. The translator then makes sure that the right exactmatch is chosen for each by evaluating the appropriateness of a match tocontextual information. However, the related art does not provide for adetermination of content context. In addition, within the related art,there is no automated process for accurately choosing the best exactmatch for a given segment or validating whether a given exact match isan appropriate match for the context to which it is being applied. Assuch, a translator is required to validate matches. The fact that atranslator needs to validate and possibly perform an action for everysentence when just a few words may have changed, given that under therelated art a segment may be translated differently under differentcircumstances or contexts, is grossly inefficient.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for an automatedprocess which accurately validates whether a given exact match is anappropriate match for the context to which it is being applied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention includes methods, systems and program product fordetermining a matching level of a text lookup segment with a pluralityof source texts in a translation memory in terms of context. Inparticular, the invention determines any exact matches for the lookupsegment in the plurality of source texts, and determines, in the casethat at least one exact match is determined, that a respective exactmatch is an in-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment in thecase that a context of the lookup segment matches that of the respectiveexact match. The degree of context matching required can bepredetermined, and results prioritized. The invention also includesmethods, systems and program products for storing a translation pair ofsource text and target text in a translation memory including context,and the translation memory so formed. The invention ensures that contentis translated the same as previously translated content and reducestranslator intervention.

A first aspect of the invention is directed to a method of determining amatching level of a plurality of source texts stored in a translationmemory to a lookup segment to be translated, the method comprising thesteps of: determining any exact matches for the lookup segment in theplurality of source texts; and determining, in the case that at leastone exact match is determined, that a respective exact match is anin-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment in the case that acontext of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exactmatch.

A second aspect of the invention includes a system for determining amatching level of a plurality of source texts stored in a translationmemory to a lookup segment to be translated, the system comprising:means for determining any exact matches for the lookup segment in theplurality of source texts; and means for determining, in the case thatat least one exact match is determined, that a respective exact match isan in-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment in the case thata context of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exactmatch.

A third aspect of the invention related to a program product stored on acomputer readable medium for determining a matching level of a pluralityof source texts stored in a translation memory to a lookup segment to betranslated, the computer readable medium comprising program code forperforming the following steps: determining any exact matches for thelookup segment in the plurality of source texts; and determining, in thecase that at least one exact match is determined, that a respectiveexact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment inthe case that a context of the lookup segment matches that of therespective exact match.

A fourth aspect of the invention is directed to a method of storing atranslation pair of source text and target text in a translation memory,the method comprising the steps of: assigning a context to thetranslation pair; and storing the context with the translation pair.

A fifth aspect of the invention is directed to a system for storing atranslation pair of source text and target text in a translation memory,the system comprising: means for assigning a context to the translationpair; and means for storing the context with the translation pair.

A sixth aspect of the invention is relates to a program product storedon a computer readable medium for storing a translated text segment forstorage in a translation memory, the computer readable medium comprisingprogram code for performing the following steps: assigning a context tothe translated text segment; and storing the context with the translatedtext segment.

A seventh aspect of the invention includes translation memorycomprising: a plurality of source texts for comparison to a lookupsegment; and a context identifier for each source text.

An eighth aspect of the invention relates to a client-side system forinteracting with a translation system including a translation memory,the system comprising: means for assigning a segment identifier to asegment to be translated by the translation system, the segmentidentifier indicating a usage context of the segment; and means forcommunicating the segment identifier assignment for storage as part ofthe translation memory.

A ninth aspect of the invention includes a program product stored on acomputer readable medium for interacting with a translation systemincluding a translation memory having a plurality of source texts, thecomputer readable medium comprising program code for performing thefollowing steps: assigning a segment identifier to a segment to betranslated by the translation system, the segment identifier indicatinga usage context of the segment; and communicating the segment identifierassignment for storage as part of the translation memory.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent fromthe following more particular description of embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, withreference to the following figures, wherein like designations denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a computer system using an ICE matchtranslation system according to the invention.

FIGS. 2A-B show a flow diagram of one embodiment of an operationalmethodology of the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a couple of entries in an illustrative translation memory.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative source asset including the entries of FIG.3.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of one embodiment for translation memorygeneration according to the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of an alternative embodiment for translationmemory generation according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description includes the following headings for conveniencepurposes only: I. Definitions, II. General Overview, III. SystemOverview, IV. Operational Methodology, and V. Conclusion.

I. Definitions

“Asset” means a content source defining a bound collection of relatedcontent or grouping of text segments, e.g., by context, usage, size,etc. In general, an asset is associable to a document, such as ahypertext markup language (HTML) file, a Microsoft® Word® document, or asimple text file. However, some assets do not correspond to file systemfiles. The asset may in fact be defined from the columns of a databasetable or the structures within an extensible markup language (XML)repository. Regardless of how they are represented physically, they allshare the common purpose—defining a bound collection of related contentthat can be accessed, manipulated, and ultimately, translated. An assetmay contain content, formatting information, and internal structuraldata that depends on the nature of the asset.

“Source asset” refers to the asset from which a lookup segment is drawn.

“Segment” includes a translatable chunk of content, e.g., a phrase,sentence, paragraph, etc. It represents the smallest unit of translationwork. In practice, a segment can represent a paragraph, a sentence oreven a sentence fragment. Segments typically are not single words,though single word segments can be used.

“Source text” refers to the text within the translation memory thatcorresponds to the original (source) language, which is the languagebeing translated. The source text is compared to the lookup segment fromthe asset to during the match lookup process in order to find a match.

“Target text” includes the translation of the source text for aparticular locale, i.e., it is one half of a translation memory (TM)entry.

“Translation memory” (abbreviated TM) includes a repository including TMentries. A TM can include TM entries for any number of locales. Forexample, it can contain entries for English-to-French, Greek-to-Russian,Albanian-to-Turkish, etc.

“TM entry” includes a translation pair stored in the translation memorythat maps source text to target text. It is specific for a giventranslation pair, which includes a source text and target text localepair, and is usually associated with the asset whose translationproduced this translation pair. In effect, a TM entry represents aprevious translation, which can be reused later. In addition, each TMentry according to the invention includes a context portion thatidentifies the context of the related source text and target text pair.

“Exact match” means a source text that contains source text that iscompletely identical to the lookup text from the asset at the moment itcomes out of a translation memory. As used herein, exact matches alsoinclude 100% matches, which are similar to exact matches, but do notnecessarily result from exact matches because of differences that existin the translation memory entry. For example, a match can be scored as100% without having been an exact match for one of the followingreasons: 1) unscored whitespace differences—using a different type ofspace character from that of the TM entry will prevent it from beingselected as an exact match, 2) configured penalties through which theinvention effectively ignores certain differences between the source andlookup text, or 3) segment repair through which repair heuristics can beapplied to fix differences between the TM match and the original lookuptext.

“Context” means discourse that surrounds a text segment and helps todetermine its interpretation. Context, as used herein, may includedifferent levels. For example, context may include: a usage contextlevel and an asset context level. Each different context may requiredifferent verbiage depending on the intended audience of the content.

“Usage context” refers to discourse that surrounds a segment andinfluences how the invention derives the appropriate translation forcontent—by considering the text surrounding the text to be translated.Typically, the usage context is defined in conjunction with surroundingcontent, which provides insight into the meaning of the segment to betranslated. Usage context can also have levels in terms of text thatprecedes a particular segment and text that follow (post) a particularsegment.

“Asset context” refers to discourse relative to the asset environment inwhich the segment exists, i.e., background and perspective framework ofthe overall content in which a text segment appears.

“In-context exact (ICE) match” for a lookup segment means the sourcetext must be an exact match and shares at least one context level withthe TM entry providing the match.

“Lookup text” refers to the segment of text from the source asset forwhich a TM match is to be sought.

“Segment identifier” (SID) includes a label that defines the usagecontext in which a given segment is to be translated, and is associatedwith content at creation of the content. A SID provides a contextidentification for the given segment. A SID may include marker tags thatdefine segment boundaries. As described below, a SID is an alternativeto basing the usage context on surrounding segments.

II. General Overview

The present invention provides methods, systems and program productsfor, inter alia, determining a matching level of a plurality of sourcetexts stored in a translation memory to a lookup segment to betranslated. The invention generates high quality matches for sourcecontent from previously stored translations in a translation memory(TM). In the related art, the best matches available were exact matches,i.e., matches where the source text was identical to one or more entriesin the TM. However, there is no automated process for accuratelychoosing the best exact match for a given segment or validating whethera given exact match was an appropriate match for the context to which itis being applied. In particular, a segment may be translated differentlyunder different circumstances or contexts. The appropriateness of anexact match requires evaluation of contextual information, which isbased on the content usage (as defined by the sentences or segmentssurrounding it) as well as the asset context (which may requiredifferent verbiage depending on the intended audience.)

The current invention does not replace the exact match process. Instead,it provides a new level for matching, above exact matches, thus,employing a true reuse TM system which negates the need for manualvalidation and aids one in creating a TM which is as valuable aspossible. In particular, one embodiment of the invention determines amatching level of a plurality of source texts stored in a translationmemory to a lookup segment to be translated by determining any exactmatches for the lookup segment in the plurality of source texts; anddetermining, in the case that at least one exact match is determined,that a respective exact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for thelookup segment in the case that a context of the lookup segment matchesthat of the respective exact match. Accordingly, the ICE matchdetermination determines the appropriateness of an exact match based onthe context of the lookup segment. Those source texts that are exactmatches and have a matching context are referred to as “in-context exact(ICE) matches.” An ICE match is considered superior to an exact match inthat it guarantees that the translation applied is appropriate for thecontext in which it is used. An ICE match is a translation match thatguarantees a high level of appropriateness by virtue of the match havingbeen previously translated in the same context as the segment currentlybeing translated.

The invention leverages context information in order to: 1) determinethe appropriateness of an exact match as a high quality (non-reviewrequiring) match for new content, 2) select the best context match for agiven lookup segment, and 3) guarantee that previously assignedtranslations for formerly translated content is always restorable. Fornew content, the invention leverages context information to find a highquality match from the TM based on segment usage context. The inventionalso ensures that the same content will always be translated the sameway given its context—both on the asset and content level.

In terms of translation of a given lookup segment, suppose a sourcedocument is translated and all segments are stored in TM. If the exactsame source document is then put through a second time, the document,including all its content, will be fully matched and the resultingtranslated document will be exactly the same as the first translateddocument. This behavior is straight forward, and expected. However, thiscan only be guaranteed as a result of using context information. Tofurther understand the significance of this guarantee, consider a sourcedocument that has the same exact sentence repeated twice in twodifferent places. Because the second usage may not have the same impliedintentions as the first, it is translated differently. Now againconsider an identical document being leveraged against the TM. Shouldthe duplicated sentence have the same translation or should they differas they did in the original document? Without taking the context oftheir usage into account, these sentences most likely would betranslated the same by the TM. However, according to the invention, thecontext is considered, which guarantees that the two sentences willcontinue to have different translations as long as their usage contextdictates such.

In terms of restoring previously translated text segments, the inventionalso ensures that the translations of new documents will not impact theability to restore the translation of a formerly translated document,and provides a method of ensuring that translations are perfectlyrepeatable by leveraging a previously translated document against TM sothat it will always result in the same translations as stored by thetranslator. Consider again two identical documents. The first documentis translated, and the results are stored in the TM. When the seconddocument is leveraged against the same TM, the document is presented asbeing fully translated with ICE matches. The usage context is identicalto that of the first document. Now consider that the second document istargeted for a different audience. The source language text is notchanged in this example since it is deemed suitable for both audiences.However, the translation into the target language requires somealterations. The translator updates the translations for this document,and stores the results into the TM. Time passes, and copies of bothtranslated documents are again required. For space reasons, the originaltranslated documents were deleted. Neither of the source documents hasbeen altered, and thus, they still contain identical source text. Theinvention facilitates the regeneration of the original translateddocuments, each being identical to the originally translated documents(which themselves were not identical). Even though the content of thesource documents is identical, the invention is able to leverage assetcontext information to ensure that the document specific translationsare recoverable.

The invention may be exploited as part of a content management systemsuch as Idiom's WorldServer™, or as a separate system. WorldServer™, forexample, is a Web-based application that enables enterprises to managetheir content in the context of the whole globalization process whileleveraging established Web architecture, content management and workflowsystems. Content management systems simplify the multiple complexitiesarising from deploying, for example, a global Web strategy, enabling acompany's Web-site to efficiently support multiple countries and alsodifferent languages, locations and cultures. They provide structures andprocesses to collaboration among site managers, Web developers, contentowners, translators and editors, resulting in a streamlined process, asynchronized global Web strategy and a coordinated global Web team. Atranslator uses a content management system to see what content he orshe has to translate. In WorldServer™, the translator can either exportthe content needing translation to a third party editing tool, or use atranslation workbench to perform the actual translation. A translatorcan be an individual contributor, including users that are adapting butnot translating content and/or reviewers who review content. Contentmanagement systems store translated phrases into TM for later recall.

III. System Overview

With reference to the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagramof an in-context exact match translation system 100 in accordance withthe invention. It should be recognized that while system 100 is shown asa separate system, it may be implemented as part of a larger contentmanagement or translation system such as Idiom's WorldServer™. In thisregard, description of system 100 may include certain functionality of atranslation system, but omit other functionality for clarity. Inaddition, it should be recognized that while system 100 is shown in aclient-server (e.g., Web-based) environment, other arrangements are alsopossible.

System 100 is shown implemented on a computer 102 as computer programcode. To this extent, computer 102 is shown including a memory 112, aprocessing unit 114, an input/output (I/O) interface 116, and a bus 118.Further, computer 102 is shown in communication with an external I/Odevice/resource 120 and a storage system 122. In general, processingunit 114 executes computer program code, such as system 100, that isstored in memory 112 and/or storage system 122. While executing computerprogram code, processing unit 114 can read and/or write data to/frommemory 112, storage system 122, and/or I/O device 120. Bus 118 providesa communication link between each of the components in computer 102, andI/O device 120 can comprise any device that enables user to interactwith computer 102 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, display, etc.).

Alternatively, a user can interact with another computing device (notshown) in communication with computer 102. In this case, I/O interface116 can comprise any device that enables computer 102 to communicatewith one or more other computing devices over a network (e.g., a networksystem, network adapter, I/O port, modem, etc.). The network cancomprise any combination of various types of communications links. Forexample, the network can comprise addressable connections that mayutilize any combination of wireline and/or wireless transmissionmethods. In this instance, the computing devices (e.g., computer 102)may utilize conventional network connectivity, such as Token Ring,Ethernet, WiFi or other conventional communications standards. Further,the network can comprise one or more of any type of network, includingthe Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), avirtual private network (VPN), etc. Where communications occur via theInternet, connectivity could be provided by conventional TCP/IPsockets-based protocol, and a computing device could utilize an Internetservice provider to establish connectivity to the Internet.

Computer 102 is only representative of various possible combinations ofhardware and software. For example, processing unit 114 may comprise asingle processing unit, or be distributed across one or more processingunits in one or more locations, e.g., on a client and server. Similarly,memory 112 and/or storage system 122 may reside at one or more physicallocations. Memory 112 and/or storage system 122 can comprise anycombination of various types of computer-readable media and/ortransmission media including magnetic media, optical media, randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a data object, etc. I/Ointerface 116 can comprise any system for exchanging information withone or more I/O devices. Further, it is understood that one or moreadditional components (e.g., system software, math co-processing unit,etc.) not shown in FIG. 1 can be included in computer 102. To thisextent, computer 102 can comprise any type of computing device such as anetwork server, a desktop computer, a laptop, a handheld device, amobile phone, a pager, a personal data assistant, etc. However, ifcomputer 102 comprises a handheld device or the like, it is understoodthat one or more I/O devices (e.g., a display) and/or storage system 122could be contained within computer 102, not externally as shown.

As discussed further below, system 100 is shown including an exact matchdeterminator 130, an in-context exact (ICE) match determinator 132, ahash algorithm 133, a fuzzy match determinator 134, a translation memoryTM generator 136, a segment retriever 138 and other system components(Sys. Comp.) 140. ICE match determinator 134 includes a contextidentifier 142, a match evaluator 144 and an ICE match prioritizer 146.Other system components 140 may include other functionality necessaryfor operation of the invention, but not expressly described herein. Forexample, other system components 140 may include an auto-translationsystem and/or content management system functionality such as thatprovided by Idiom's WorldServer™.

Although not shown for clarity in FIG. 1, it should be understood thatclient-side system 150 may include similar structure to computer 102,and include program code for providing functionality as described below.

FIG. 1 also shows a translation memory 128 (hereinafter “TM 128”) foruse by system 100. As shown in FIG. 3, TM 128 includes a plurality of TMentries 148 including stored target texts 162, 164 that have beenpreviously translated into a particular language for particular sourcetexts 152A, 152B, respectively (only two shown for brevity). Forexample, stored source text “global enterprises” 152A has beentranscribed into a number of German translations 162, i.e., targettexts, and stored source text “team of visionaries” 152B has beentranslated into a number of French translations 164, i.e., target texts.Each source text 152A, 152B is for comparison to a lookup segment. EachTM entry 148 also includes context identification 166 (only two labeledfor clarity). In one embodiment, context identification 166 includesindications of different context levels such as a usage context portion168 and an asset context portion (AC) 170. Asset context portion 170includes an asset code, e.g., “33333,” that identifies a particularasset to system 100. Other context levels may also be provided. In somecases, asset context portion 170 may be omitted.

In one preferred embodiment, each usage context portion 168 includes apreceding usage context (UC) hash code 172 and a post usage context (UC)hash code 174. Preceding UC hash code 172 is generated using hashalgorithm 133 based on the text stream generated by a preceding segmentthat the respective source text appeared next to during translation.Similarly, post UC hash code 172 is generated using hash algorithm 133based on the text stream generated by a following (post) segment thatthe respective source text appeared next to during translation. Hashalgorithm 133 includes any now known or later developed hash algorithmthat can convert a text stream into a unique numerical identifier. (Itshould be recognized that the hash codes shown are simplified forclarity.) Accordingly, each UC hash code indicates a unique usagecontext level for the respective source text. In an alternativeembodiment, only one usage context hash code may be employed for aparticular source text 152, and preceding and following segments.

Where a lookup segment 154 is assigned a context at creation, contextidentifications 166 may be generated using a user-specified SID, asdescribed above, rather than hash algorithm 133.

It should be recognized that the particular codes used herein are forillustration purposes only.

IV. Operational Methodology

Turning to FIGS. 2A-B, a flow diagram of one embodiment of operationalmethodology of the invention will now be described. Discussion of FIGS.2A-B will be made in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

A. Preliminary Steps

Starting with FIG. 2A, as a preliminary step PS, in one embodiment, alookup segment 154 is loaded by way of client computer system 150directly linked or linked by a network of some type, e.g. a LAN, a WAN,or the Internet, to ICE match system 100. For example, lookup segment154 may be loaded via a translation workflow application server (notshown), e.g., Idiom's WorldServer™, which ICE match system 100 may be apart of. Lookup segment 154 may be loaded as part of a larger asset. Inthis case, system 100 may conduct segmentation of the larger asset inany now known or later developed fashion to create lookup segments 154,e.g., as provided by Idiom's WorldServer™. Segmentation is the processthrough which an asset's content is parsed and exposed as translatablesegments. The size of the segment depends on segmentation rules, whichmay be user defined.

B. General Methodology

The steps S1-S12 represent analysis for each lookup segment 154.

In a first step S1, any exact matches for lookup segment 154 in theplurality of source texts 152 in TM 128 is determined by exact matchdeterminator 130. Exact match determinator 130 may function as in mostconventional TM systems, which employ a string comparison algorithm togauge the appropriateness of a translation stored within TM 128, wherescores are awarded based on how closely the two strings match. A scoreof 100% typically indicates that an exact match has been found. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 3, lookup segment “global enterprises,” whentranslated into German, would result in three exact matches: 1) globaleWesen, 2) globale Unternehmen, and 3) globale Geschäfte. Lookup segment“team of visionaries,” when translated into French, would result in fourexact matches: 1) équipe de visionnaires, 2) groupe de visionnaires, 3)bande des visionnaires, and 4) groupe de futurologues. More than oneexact match may exist within TM 128 for each lookup segment 154 becausemultiple translations for any given segment and the meaning of astatement in a given language are not only derived from the words, butalso from the context in which it is used. Accordingly, each previoustranslation can result in many target text translations 162, 164 for aparticular source text 152, and hence, an identical lookup segment 154.

In step S2, a determination is made as to whether at least one exactmatch is determined, i.e., found in TM 128. If NO, at step S2,processing proceeds to step S3 at which fuzzy match determinator 134determines whether there are any fuzzy matches for lookup segment 154 inany now known or later developed fashion. Any fuzzy matches for lookupsegment 154 are reported at step S4. “Reporting” as used herein, canmean displaying results to a user, transferring and/or storing results.Although not shown, if fuzzy matches are not found, then conventionalauto-translation may be instigated.

If YES at step S2, at step S5, ICE match determinator 132 determineswhether a respective exact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match forlookup segment 154. As stated above, an “ICE match” means source text152 must be an exact match and that it also shares a common context withlookup segment 154. In other words, an exact match that has a contextidentification 166 that matches that of lookup segment 154 is an ICEmatch. In one embodiment, the context for purposes of this determinationincludes only the usage context. However, other context matching levelsmay be employed, as will be described below.

Step S5 includes two sub-steps. First, sub-step S5A, context identifier142 identifies a context of lookup segment 154. In one embodiment,context identifier 142 identifies a context based on surroundingsegments of lookup segment 154 in its source asset. In this case, hashalgorithm 133 is implemented to determine a usage context for lookupsegment 154 by calculating a lookup segment (LS) preceding UC hash codeand a lookup segment (LS) post UC hash code. Again, hash algorithm 133includes any now known or later developed hash algorithm that canconvert a text stream into a unique numerical identifier. Referring toFIG. 4, an illustrative source asset 180 including lookup segment 154Ain the form of “team of visionaries” is shown. A LS preceding UC hashcode is formed based on the immediately preceding segment 190. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, a LS preceding UC hash code would becalculated for “Idiom was founded in January 1998 by a team ofvisionaries.” Similarly, a LS post UC hash code would be calculated forthe immediately following segment 192, i.e., “team of visionaries whorecognized the need for an enterprise-class software product that wouldmeet the globalization.” An asset context for source asset 180 can beidentified by context identifier 142 based on an asset hash, which isbased on the system's identification of a particular asset, e.g., assetname, location within system, etc.

In an alternative embodiment, context identifier 142 identifies acontext of lookup segment 154 according to a segment identifier (SID)associated with lookup segment 154, which as stated above, includes alabel that defines the usage context in which a segment is to betranslated. A SID may include marker tags that define segmentboundaries. Preferably, a SID is associated with a source text 152and/or lookup segment 154 during creation of the segment, i.e., by acontent creator. However, a SID may be associated with a source text 152and/or lookup segment 154, or overwritten at a later time, e.g., by aprevious content translator.

In sub-step S5B, ICE match evaluator 144 makes an evaluation for eachexact match for a lookup segment 154 by using context identification 166stored with each candidate to determine whether it has been used in thesame context as lookup segment 154, i.e., whether each exact match is anICE match. The degree of context matching required in order for an exactmatch to be considered an ICE match can be pre-determined. In oneembodiment, ICE match evaluator 144 indicates that a respective exactmatch is an ICE match for lookup segment 154 only in the case that eachcontext level of lookup segment 154 matches that of the respective exactmatch. For example, where context includes a usage context level and anasset context level, the determining step may indicate that a respectiveexact match is an ICE match for the lookup segment only in the case thatboth the usage context level and the asset context level of the lookupsegment matches that of the respective exact match.

EXAMPLE

Referring to FIG. 3, assume an illustrative lookup segment 154 includesthe text “team of visionaries,” and that it is to be translated intoFrench. Also, assume the lookup segment “team of visionaries” has a LSpreceding UC hash code of 333 and a LS post UC hash code of 4444, and anasset context of 666666. (It should be understood that all hash codes inFIG. 3 are simplified for purposes of clarity). As shown in FIG. 3,exact match determinator 130 would determine four exact matches forlookup segment “team of visionaries,” when translated into French: 1)équipe de visionnaires, 2) groupe de visionnaires, 3) bande desvisionnaires, and 4) groupe de futurologues. ICE match evaluator 144reviews the exact matches, and as shown in FIG. 3, would determine thatwhen lookup segment “team of visionaries” is translated into French, thesource text “groupe de visionnaires” has the same context because it hasthe same asset context 170 and usage context (hash codes) 172, 174.Accordingly, “groupe de visionnaires” would be an ICE match. The othersource texts would not qualify as ICE matches because they do not haveat least one context code of lookup segment “team of visionaries.”

In an alternative embodiment, ICE match evaluator 144 may indicate thata respective exact match is an ICE match for lookup segment 154 even ifonly some context levels of the lookup segment matches that of therespective exact match.

EXAMPLE

Referring to FIG. 3, assume an illustrative lookup segment 154 includesthe text “global enterprises,” and that it is to be translated intoGerman. Also, assume the lookup segment “global enterprises” has a LSpreceding UC hash code of 1234 and a LS post UC hash code of 4321, andan asset context of 7890. As shown in FIG. 3, exact match determinator130 would determine three exact matches for lookup segment “globalenterprises,” when translated into German: 1) globale Wesen, 2) globaleUnternehmen, and 3) globale Geschäfte. Assuming that only one usagecontext level is required for an exact match to be an ICE match, ICEmatch evaluator 144 reviews the exact matches, and as shown in FIG. 3,would determine that when lookup segment “global enterprises” istranslated into German, the source texts “globale Wesen” and “globaleUnternehmen” have the same context because they each have one UC hashcode that matches one of LS UC hash codes. That is, “globale Wesen” hasthe same previous UC hash code as the lookup segment, and “globaleUnternehmen” has the same post UC hash code as the lookup segment. Theother source texts would not qualify as ICE matches because they do nothave at least one context level of lookup segment “global enterprises.”Details of how system 100 prioritizes multiple ICE matches will bedescribed below.

If no ICE matches are determined, i.e., NO at step S6, at step S7, anyexact matches are reported. Subsequently, at step S8, exact matches andfuzzy matches, i.e., from step S3-4, can be validated by a user in anynow known or later developed fashion. In this case, exact matches andfuzzy matches are retrieved to their respective caches, and are madeavailable to the translator by means of a client computer system 150where the translator must validate each exact match in order to ensurethat such match is the best match given the source asset 180 content andupdate each fuzzy match in order to match the source asset 180 content.

If ICE matches are determined, i.e., YES at step S6, then as shown inFIG. 2B, at step S9, ICE match ranker 146 determines whether more thanone ICE match is found. If only one ICE match is determined, then atstep S10, the single ICE match is reported. Once an ICE match isautomatically reported, system 100 allows retrieval of the target text162, 164 via segment retriever 138.

C. Multiple ICE Match Prioritization

Returning to FIG. 2B, step S11-12 represent optional steps foraddressing the situation in which multiple ICE matches are determined instep S5, i.e., YES at step S9. In one embodiment (not shown), ICE matchdeterminator 130 may simply allow a user to select an ICE match from alist of ICE matches. However, this is not preferred because it defeatsone purpose of the ICE matches, i.e., not having to validate an exactmatch. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, if more than oneICE match is determined, then ICE match prioritizer 146 prioritizes(ranks) each ICE match according to a degree of context matching at stepS11. As described above, the “degree of context matching” can bepredetermined. This step prioritizes each ICE matches degree of contextmatching and either presents the ICE matches to a user for selection orautomatically selects the highest ranked ICE match, at step S12. Itshould be understood that various formula for prioritizing multiple ICEmatches are possible depending on the number of context levels. Thefollowing example illustrates one embodiment for prioritizing multipleICE matches.

EXAMPLE

Assume the context includes a usage context level and an asset contextlevel, and the lookup segment “team of visionaries” is to be translatedinto French using TM 128 of FIG. 3 based on a source document 180, asshown in FIG. 4. In this case, “team of visionaries” has four exactmatches: 1) équipe de visionnaires, 2) groupe de visionnaires, 3) bandedes visionnaires, and 4) groupe de futurologues, based on previouslystored translations. Assume also that lookup segment “team ofvisionaries” has an LS previous UC hash code 333, an LS post UC hashcode 4444 and an asset code 666666. Assume also that for an exact matchto be indicated by ICE match determinator 132 as an ICE match, only onecontext level needs to match that of the lookup segment. In this case,each exact match is an ICE match. In particular, 1) “équipe devisionnaires” has matching previous UC hash code and asset code, 2)“groupe de visionnaires” has all matching context levels, 3) “bande desvisionnaires” has a matching asset code, and 4) “groupe de futurologues”has a matching post UC hash code.

It should be recognized that, by definition, ICE matches are prioritizedabove unmatched lookup segments (i.e., those that require manual ormachine translation), fuzzy matches, and exact matches that are not ICEmatches. One prioritization rubric for ICE matches is shown below. Inthis rubric, rankings are listed in reverse order of precedence (i.e.,the higher the number, the higher the prioritization): wherein the usagecontext (UC) level includes a preceding UC level and a post UC level,and the prioritizing step includes:

1. Full Usage Context (UC) Matches are Preferred Over Partial UsageContext (UC) Matches:

Assuming that exact matches that have only one UC hash code that match ahash code of the lookup segment are considered ICE matches (referred toas “partial matches), preference is given to those ICE matches that haveboth the same previous and post hash UC codes as the lookup segment(referred to as “full UC matches”) over the partial matches. In otherwords, an ICE match having both previous and post UC levels that matchthose of the lookup segment are preferred over an ICE match having onlyone of the previous and post UC levels matching those of the lookupsegment. For the example, ICE match 2) “groupe de visionnaires” would bepreferred over all others because it has matching preceding (333) andpost (4444) UC hash codes with the lookup segment.

2. ICE Matches from Same Asset as Lookup Segment are Preferred OverThose from other Assets:

In this case, two or more ICE matches cannot be differentiated by theabove-described full-over-partial matching preference, i.e., the firstpreference is non-conclusive, a preference is given to the ICE matchthat is from the same asset as the lookup segment based on the assetcode. In other words, where the first preference is non-conclusive, anICE match from the same asset as the lookup segment is preferred over anICE match from a different asset. In the example, ICE matches 1) “équipede visionnaires” and 4) “groupe de futurologues” are both partial ICEmatches, but ICE match 1) “équipe de visionnaires” is from the sameasset “666666” as the lookup segment, and would be preferred.

3. Where Two or More ICE Matches from the Same Asset are Determined fora Lookup Segment, the ICE Match with a Closer Position to the Positionof Lookup Segment within the Asset is Preferred:

This prioritization addresses the situation in which a lookup segment154 exists in numerous locations within a single source asset 180, andas a result two or more ICE matches exist for a particular asset. Forexample, FIG. 4 shows source asset 180 including two occurrences oflookup segment “team of visionaries” 154A, 154B. In this case, ICE matchprioritizer 146 evaluates the position within the asset of theparticular lookup segment and will prefer the ICE match that is closestin position within the asset to the lookup segment over the other ICEmatches from the same asset. In other words, where the second preferenceis non-conclusive, an ICE match with a closest position to a position ofthe lookup segment within the asset is preferred over the other ICEmatches. This evaluation of position can be repeated for any number ofrepetitions of a lookup segment within a particular asset.

Once the prioritization is complete, at step S12, ICE match prioritizer146 allows a user to select the ICE match based on the rank in any nowknown or later developed fashion, e.g., via a graphical user interfaceof client computer system 150, or automatically selects the highestprioritized ICE match. Once an ICE match is selected, system 100 allowsretrieval of at least one target text 162, 164 via segment retriever138.

Because of the high-level match quality provided by an ICE match, sourcetexts that are determined to be ICE matches do not need to be reviewedor validated by the translator. They can be automatically accepted, thusdecreasing the translation cycle time and resulting in cheapertranslation costs. In addition, system 100 addresses the situation inwhich a plurality of lookup segments 154 that are substantiallyidentical in terms of content are present in a single source asset 180.In this case, system 100 is capable of determining an ICE match for eachlookup segment 154 based on a matching level. Typically, at least onelookup segment has a different ICE match than at least one other lookupsegment to assist in this determination. If not, multiple ICE matchescan be reported to a user for selection, as described above. System 100also facilitates the translation of sections of content, which arerepeated across different assets with minimal effort, including withoutlimitation retrieving matches even when segments of content have beensplit or merged and/or allowing content blocks to be translateddifferently within a single asset.

The above-described operation can continue to process further lookupsegments of source asset 180 against TM 128, or provide output to a useronce an entire asset is completed.

D. Generating the Translation Memory

The existence of context information for TM entries is required forsystem 100 operation. As such, implementation of the invention requiresstorage of context information with every new translation added to theTM. This allows the context information of lookup segments to beeffectively compared to the context information of previously translatedsegments without requiring access to the previously translateddocuments.

Toward this end, in another embodiment, the invention provides a waythrough which the context information is stored along with eachtranslation when translations are saved into TM 128, thus, not requiringa translator to keep any files around, such as the previously translateddocuments, for the invention to function. Turning to FIG. 5, theinvention also includes a method of storing a translation pair of sourcetext and target text in TM 128. In a first step S100, a context isassigned to the translation pair using TM generator 136. Context may beassigned, for example, by implementation of the above-described SIDsduring creation of content or via operation of hash algorithm 133 duringa translation pass. Next, in step S101, the context is stored with thetranslation pair in TM 128 by TM generator 136. As described above, thecontext may include a usage context level and an asset context level.

It should be recognized that the above-described TM generation may alsobe implemented on a client-side system 150 for when an asset (segment)is created. In this embodiment, the invention includes a client-sidesystem 150 for interacting with a translation system (i.e., system 100along with other content management system components 140) including TM128. Turning to FIGS. 1 and 6, in this case, the client-side system 150may operate by providing a SID assigner 200 for assigning (step S200) asegment identifier (SID) to a segment 152 to be translated by TM 128,the SID indicating a usage context of the segment. SID assigner 200 mayallow a user to associate predetermined SIDs or SIDs may be generatedusing, for example, a hash algorithm 133. In addition, system 150 mayinclude a communicator 202 for communicating (step S201) the SIDassignment for storage as part of TM 128, e.g., by TM generator 136 ofsystem 100.

V. Conclusion

The above-described invention provides value for translators by givingthem the ability to perfectly match source content with that of the TM,alleviating the need to validate the source content with the TM andcreating a truly reusable TM system, which allows for a more efficienttranslation process.

It is understood that the order of the above-described steps is onlyillustrative. To this extent, one or more steps can be performed inparallel, in a different order, at a remote time, etc. Further, one ormore of the steps may not be performed in various embodiments of theinvention.

It is understood that the present invention can be realized in hardware,software, a propagated signal, or any combination thereof, and may becompartmentalized other than as shown. Any kind of computer/serversystem(s)—or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein—is suitable. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware could be a general purpose computer system with a computerprogram that, when loaded and executed, carries out the respectivemethods described herein. Alternatively, a specific use computer,containing specialized hardware for carrying out one or more of thefunctional tasks of the invention (e.g., system 100), could be utilized.The present invention also can be embedded in a computer program productor a propagated signal, which comprises all the respective featuresenabling the implementation of the methods described herein, andwhich—when loaded in a computer system—is able to carry out thesemethods. Computer program, propagated signal, software program, program,or software, in the present context mean any expression, in anylanguage, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause asystem having an information processing capability to perform aparticular function either directly or after either or both of thefollowing: (a) conversion to another language, code or notation; and/or(b) reproduction in a different material form. Furthermore, it should beappreciated that the teachings of the present invention could be offeredas a business method on a subscription or fee basis. For example, thesystem and/or computer could be created, maintained, supported and/ordeployed by a service provider that offers the functions describedherein for customers. That is, a service provider could offer thefunctionality described above.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is to beunderstood that the above-described embodiments are simply illustrativeand not restrictive of the principles of the invention. Various andother modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the artwhich will embody the principles of the invention and fall within thespirit and scope thereof and all changes which come within the meaningand range of the equivalency of the claims are thus intended to beembraced therein.

1. A method of determining a matching level of a plurality of sourcetexts stored in a translation memory to a lookup segment to betranslated, the method comprising the steps of: determining any exactmatches for the lookup segment in the plurality of source texts; anddetermining, in the case that at least one exact match is determined,that a respective exact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for thelookup segment in the case that a context of the lookup segment matchesthat of the respective exact match.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe context includes at least two levels.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the ICE match determining step indicates that a respective exactmatch is an ICE match for the lookup segment only in the case that eachcontext level of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exactmatch.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein, in the case that greater thanone ICE match is determined, the ICE match determining step includesprioritizing each ICE match according to a degree of context matching.5. The method of claim 2, wherein the context includes a usage contextlevel and an asset context level.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein theICE match determining step indicates that a respective exact match is anICE match for the lookup segment only in the case that both the usagecontext level and the asset context level of the lookup segment matchesthat of the respective exact match.
 7. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising, in the case that greater than one ICE match is determined,the step of prioritizing each ICE match according to a degree of contextmatching.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the usage context (UC) levelincludes a preceding UC level and a post UC level, and the prioritizingstep includes: first preferring an ICE match having both previous andpost UC levels that match those of the lookup segment over an ICE matchhaving only one of the previous and post UC levels matching those of thelookup segment; where the first preferring step is non-conclusive,second preferring an ICE match from the same asset as the lookup segmentover an ICE match from a different asset; and where the secondpreferring step is non-conclusive, third preferring an ICE match with aclosest position to a position of the lookup segment within the asset.9. The method of claim 8, further comprising allowing a user to selectthe ICE match based on the prioritization.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the lookup segment includes a plurality of lookup segments thatare substantially identical in terms of content, and wherein the ICEmatch determining step includes determining an ICE match for each lookupsegment.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one lookup segmenthas a different ICE match than at least one other lookup segment. 12.The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing retrievalof at least one source text based on the matching level.
 13. A systemfor determining a matching level of a plurality of source texts storedin a translation memory to a lookup segment to be translated, the systemcomprising: means for determining any exact matches for the lookupsegment in the plurality of source texts; and means for determining, inthe case that at least one exact match is determined, that a respectiveexact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment inthe case that a context of the lookup segment matches that of therespective exact match.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the contextincludes at least two levels.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein theICE match determining means indicates that a respective exact match isan ICE match for the lookup segment only in the case that each contextlevel of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exact match.16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for, in the casethat greater than one exact match is determined, ranking each exactmatch according to a degree of context matching.
 17. The system of claim14, wherein the context includes a usage context level and an assetcontext level.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the ICE matchdetermining means indicates that a respective exact match is an ICEmatch for the lookup segment only in the case that both the usagecontext level and the asset context level of the lookup segment matchesthat of the respective exact match.
 19. The system of claim 17, furthercomprising means for, in the case that greater than one ICE match isdetermined, prioritizing each ICE match according to a degree of contextmatching.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the usage context (UC)level includes a preceding UC level and a post UC level, and theprioritizing means: first prefers an ICE match having both previous andpost UC levels that match those of the lookup segment over an ICE matchhaving only one of the previous and post UC levels matching those of thelookup segment; where the first preference is non-conclusive, secondprefers an ICE match from the same asset as the lookup segment over anICE match from a different asset; and where the second preference isnon-conclusive, third prefers an ICE match with a closest position to aposition of the lookup segment within the asset.
 21. The system of claim20, further comprising means for allowing a user to select the ICE matchbased on the rank.
 22. The system of claim 13, wherein the lookupsegment includes a plurality of lookup segments that are substantiallyidentical in terms of content, and wherein the ICE match determiningmeans determines an ICE match for each lookup segment.
 23. The system ofclaim 22, wherein at least one lookup segment has a different ICE matchthan at least one other lookup segment.
 24. The system of claim 13,further comprising the means for allowing retrieval of at least onesource text based on the matching level.
 25. A program product stored ona computer readable medium for determining a matching level of aplurality of source texts stored in a translation memory to a lookupsegment to be translated, the computer readable medium comprisingprogram code for performing the following steps: determining any exactmatches for the lookup segment in the plurality of source texts; anddetermining, in the case that at least one exact match is determined,that a respective exact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for thelookup segment in the case that a context of the lookup segment matchesthat of the respective exact match.
 26. The program product of claim 25,wherein the context includes at least two levels.
 27. The programproduct of claim 26, wherein the ICE match determining step indicatesthat a respective exact match is an ICE match for the lookup segmentonly in the case that each context level of the lookup segment matchesthat of the respective exact match.
 28. The program product of claim 27,further comprising, in the case that greater than one exact match isdetermined, ranking each exact match according to a degree of contextmatching.
 29. The program product of claim 26, wherein the contextincludes a usage context level and an asset context level.
 30. Theprogram product of claim 29, wherein the ICE match determining stepindicates that a respective exact match is an ICE match for the lookupsegment only in the case that both the usage context level and the assetcontext level of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exactmatch.
 31. The program product of claim 29, further comprising, in thecase that greater than one exact match is determined, ranking each exactmatch according to a degree of context matching.
 32. The program productof claim 31, wherein the usage context (UC) level includes a precedingUC level and a post UC level, and the prioritizing step includes: firstpreferring an ICE match having both previous and post UC levels thatmatch those of the lookup segment over an ICE match having only one ofthe previous and post UC levels matching those of the lookup segment;where the first preferring step is non-conclusive, second preferring anICE match from the same asset as the lookup segment over an ICE matchfrom a different asset; and where the second preferring step isnon-conclusive, third preferring an ICE match with a closest position toa position of the lookup segment within the asset.
 33. The programproduct of claim 32, further comprising allowing a user to select theICE match based on the rank.
 34. The program product of claim 25,wherein the lookup segment includes a plurality of lookup segments thatare substantially identical in terms of content, and wherein the ICEmatch determining step includes determining an ICE match for each lookupsegment.
 35. The program product of claim 34, wherein at least onelookup segment has a different ICE match than at least one other lookupsegment.
 36. The program product of claim 25, further comprising thestep of allowing retrieval of at least one source text based on thematching level.
 37. A method of storing a translation pair of sourcetext and target text in a translation memory, the method comprising thesteps of: assigning a context to the translation pair; and storing thecontext with the translation pair.
 38. The method of 12, wherein thecontext includes a usage context level and an asset context level.
 39. Asystem for storing a translation pair of source text and target text ina translation memory, the system comprising: means for assigning acontext to the translation pair; and means for storing the context withthe translation pair.
 40. The system of 39, wherein the context includesa usage context level and an asset context level.
 41. A program productstored on a computer readable medium for storing a translated textsegment for storage in a translation memory, the computer readablemedium comprising program code for performing the following steps:assigning a context to the translated text segment; and storing thecontext with the translated text segment.
 42. A translation memorycomprising: a plurality of source texts for comparison to a lookupsegment; and a context identifier for each source text.
 43. Thetranslation memory of claim 42, wherein the context identifier includesa usage context portion and an asset context portion.
 44. A client-sidesystem for interacting with a translation system including a translationmemory, the system comprising: means for assigning a segment identifierto a segment to be translated by the translation system, the segmentidentifier indicating a usage context of the segment; and means forcommunicating the segment identifier assignment for storage as part ofthe translation memory.
 45. A program product stored on a computerreadable medium for interacting with a translation system including atranslation memory having a plurality of source texts, the computerreadable medium comprising program code for performing the followingsteps: assigning a segment identifier to a segment to be translated bythe translation system, the segment identifier indicating a usagecontext of the segment; and communicating the segment identifierassignment for storage as part of the translation memory.